A presidential office official, speaking to reporters in Mexico City during President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit, declined to directly respond to Ukraine’s denial that it had agreed to keep the transfer confidential.
“Our approach has been consistent, guided by the individuals’ wishes, relevant laws and humanitarian considerations,” the official said.
The dispute emerged after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday that Kyiv had transferred the two soldiers to South Korea.
“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” Zelenskyy said. He also described the difficulties Ukrainian troops faced in capturing North Korean soldiers alive.
The two soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region in January 2025 after being deployed there as part of North Korea’s support for Moscow’s war. Both later expressed a desire to go to South Korea.
Seoul had previously declined to confirm whether or when they had arrived, citing concerns for the safety of the soldiers and their families in North Korea. South Korean officials said the government had been consulting Ukraine and other parties while respecting the soldiers’ wishes and following international law and humanitarian principles.
Lee criticized Zelenskyy’s disclosure on Thursday, saying Ukraine had broken an agreement to keep the transfer confidential.
“Ukraine disclosed the transfer in breach of a non-disclosure agreement,” Lee wrote on X, adding that he regretted the decision. He described the case as highly sensitive because of its potential impact on diplomacy, national security and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula.
A senior South Korean presidential official later said Kyiv had informed Seoul before Zelenskyy’s speech that the soldiers could be mentioned, but had not clearly explained how the matter would be presented. Seoul had told Ukraine that the transfer itself should not be made public, the official said, arguing that the two sides had an understanding that the process would be handled quietly.
Dmytro Lytvyn, a communications adviser to Zelenskyy, said there had been no agreement requiring Ukraine to keep the transfer secret. “There was no such agreement,” he said, adding that concealing where prisoners had been sent would have been inappropriate.
Another source in the Ukrainian presidential office told RBC-Ukraine that Kyiv had not promised confidentiality and argued that the Ukrainian public had a right to know how prisoner-related matters were handled. The source said Ukraine had disclosed the transfer itself without revealing sensitive details of the process.
The issue had been under discussion for months. Seoul has maintained that it would accept North Korean soldiers who choose to come to South Korea.
The presidential office on Saturday avoided engaging further with Kyiv’s conflicting account, instead reiterating that its handling of the case had been guided by the same legal and humanitarian principles throughout.
AJP Takeaways
- Seoul and Kyiv are disputing whether the transfer of two North Korean prisoners from Ukraine to South Korea was meant to remain confidential.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly revealed the transfer at the U.N., while President Lee Jae Myung said Ukraine had breached a non-disclosure understanding.
- South Korea says it handled the case based on the prisoners’ wishes, relevant law and humanitarian considerations.
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